Nathaniel harris



(No Model.)

N. HARRIS. LOOK.

No. 600,282. Pat ented Mar. 8, 1898.

a 33 Z31, a (277,28 a7? v FFICE.

ATENT NATHANIEL HARRIS, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI.

LOCK.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters latent No. 600,282, dated March 8, 1898.

Application filed November 4, 1897. Serial No. 657,383. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, NATHANIEL HARRIS, a citizen of the United States, residing at St. Louis, in the State of Missouri, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Locks, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part hereof.

My invention has relation to improvements in locks; and it consists in the novel arrangement and combination of parts more fully set forth in the specification and pointed out in the claims.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a plan View of my complete invention as applied to a door and door-frame. Fig. 2 is a horizontal section taken on the line so a: of Fig. 1. Fig. 3is a side elevation of the catch. Fig. 4 is a rear plan view of the rotatable latch. Fig. 5 is a plan View of the spring used in carrying out my invention, and Fig. 6 is a side View of the spring.

The object of my invention is to construct a simple and durable lock for doors of all kinds, gates, windows, or any place or object to which it may be practically applied, and consists in a rotatable latch, a catch-plate for receiving the same when it is properly turned for looking the door, means for limiting the rotation of the latch, a spring especially constructed for the purpose of cooperating with the latch for frictionally holding the latter in either a locked or unlocked position, a swinging safety device located immediately above the catchplate and having a concave engaging lower end, against which the locking end of the latch is adapted to come in contact should an attempt be made to turn the said latch, and in other details to be hereinafter more fully described.

Referring to the drawings, 1 represents a portion of a door, 2 the frame for the same, and 3 an ordinary door-knob, all of which are of the usual construction. The lock is composed of a rotatable latch t, having a locking end or extension 5, the same being movably attached to the door 1 by a screw 6, passing through an opening 7, formed in the body portion of said latch, and into the door, as best shown in Fig. 2.

Projecting from the circular edge of the body portion of the latch 4 are three lugs 8, 9, and 10, which are adapted to come in contact with a screw or similar device screwed into the door and projecting a suitable distance, against which said lugs are adapted to come in contact for limiting the movement of the latch in either a locked or unlocked position, the lug 10 being only used when it is necessary to reverse the lock, and when so attached the lug 8 would be of no significance. The outer surface of the latch 4 is provided with an operating-tongue 11, which projects a suitable distance.

12 represents a catch-plate, which when properly secured to the door-frame 2 a space 13 is provided between the frame and catchplate for receiving the locking end 5 of the latch 4.

1a represents a swinging safety-latch which is movably secured to the door-frame 2 immediately above the catch-plate 12, said latch having a lower concave engaging end 15, against which the end of the extension 5 of the latch a is adapted to come in contact should an attempt be made to raise the locking end of the latch from the outside of the door for the purpose of unlocking the latter. When, however, it is desired to unlock the latch or raise it out of contact with the catch-plate 12, the swinging latch 14 is turned to one side, allowing the latch 4 to be rotated.

The inner surface of the body portion of the latch 4 is hollowed out, forming a smooth contacting surface 16, and located between said surface and the plane or adjacent surface of the door is fixed a spring 17 for frictionally holding the latch in any position desired. The spring 17 is stamped or cut from thin sheet steel and is circular in shape, conforming to the shape of the body portion of the latch, said latch comprising a flat rigid portion 18, and leading from said portion and bent on a line parallel is the flexible or spring portion 19, the width of which corresponds to the frictional surface 16 of the latch, against which the said spring bears. The flat portion 18 is provided with an opening 20, through which the screw 6 loosely passes, and also with an opening 21, through which a small screw 22 is passed and into the wood comprising the door, by means of which the spring is securely held against rotation and fixed to the door and spring portion 19 held in frictional contact with the body portion of the latch.

When the lock is placed immediately above the ordinary door-knob 3, as shown in Fig. 1, by turning the said knob in the usual manner the thumb of the hand can be simultaneously brought in contact with the tongue 11 of the latch and thus no further operation is necessary to unlock the door.

In applying the lock to some designs of doors, and especially where they open in the opposite direction to that shown in the drawings, the catch-plate 12 could be dispensed with, as the extension 5 of the latch t would come in contact with the door-frame should an attempt be made to open the door.

The present device could be practically ap plied to the meeting-rails of sashes for locking the same and many other places too numerous to mention.

Should the spring 17 at any time become broken or disabled, the latch would remain in an unlocked position when once placed in such a position, as the lugs 8 and 10 are so arranged in respect to the limiting-screw 23 that extension 5 of the latch when elevated or turned will assume a position beyond the vertical line taken through the pivotal point of the latch. 'When the latch is in an open position and the same is turned in a direction to lock the door, the end of the extension 5 of said latch will strike the swinging latch 14, forcing it to one side, and after said extension has passed the swinging latch and is in a posi tion to lock the door the said swinging latch 14 will assume its normal position, preventing the latch froin'being turned without first turning the latch 14.

Should an attempt be made to turn the latch 4 from the outside of the door, the extension 5 of said latch will strike the concave lower end of the swinging latch 14: and form a perfect lock.

Having fully described my invention, what I claim is- 1. A lock'comprising a rotatable latch, an extension forming a part of the same, a catchplate for receiving said extension, a screw passing through the body portion of the latch, lugs projecting from said body portion, a limiting-screw against which the lugs are adapted to come in contact, and a circular spring having a rigid portion, and a curved spring portion the said portions being parallel with one another, said spring adapted to be interposed between the inner surface of the body portion of the latch and the door to which the latch is secured, substantially as described.

2. A look comprising a rotatable latch, havbody portion of the rotatable latch against which the curved spring portion of the spring is adapted to bear, a screw passing loosely through the body portion of the latch and said rigid portion of the spring, an additional screw for holding the spring in position, and a tongue projecting from the rotatable latch for operating the same, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

NATHANIEL HARRIS. Witnesses:

ALFRED A. MATHEY,' C. F. KELLER. 

